Annie Richards knows there are a million things to look out for—bicycle accidents, food poisoning, chicken pox, smallpox, typhoid fever, runaway zoo animals, and poison oak. That's why being careful is so important, even if it does mean giving up some of her favorite things, like bike races with her best friend, Rebecca, and hot dogs on the Fourth of July. Everyone keeps telling Annie not to worry so much, that she's just fine. But they thought her brother, Jared, was just fine too, and Jared died.

It takes a new neighbor, who looks as plain as a box of toothpicks but has some surprising secrets of her own, to help Annie close her umbrella of sadness and step back into the sunshine.

Expect tears, but also expect to cheer for Annie's recovery as she gradually learns to honor Jared's life and care for her own.

School Library Journal

Graff has created a lively, quirky individual who tells her story with frankness and humor . . . Annie's story deals with death with sensitivity, love, and understanding.

KidsReads.com

Heartwarming . . . [Graff's] characters are colorful and distinct, especially Annie, whose intelligence, deeply felt emotions, and troubled spirit dive right into the reader's heart. Keep an eye on Graff; she has a real gift for the kind of storytelling that will bond readers to a lifetime of reading.

Winston-Salem Journal

This poignant book is both funny and sad . . . One of our favorites thus far in 2009.